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Friday, April 9, 2010

Rag Curls and Ruby Woo

I've been changing up the old beauty routine! Curious to see what the heck this mess looks like after brushing out? (I hope you see that it's a testament to how close we've gotten that I would post this picture on the front page of my blog, dear readers.)Voila!I'm loving these rag curls lately. They're super quick to put in. First, I douse my dry hair in diluted LottaBody setting lotion. Next, I put my bang area up in about four small upright pin curls. Then I take big sections of the rest of my hair, roll it up in strips of muslin (about 2" by 8" long) and tie them off in knots. It's basically like using a strip of fabric as a roller. The hair forms little bundles that are comfortable to sleep on.

I go to bed, enduring just a few snickers from Jeff. Brush it out in the morning, add a little pomade for shine, and you're done! I pinned one side up here for a little extra pizazz.Also, the lipstick. I've recently switched camps from MAC Russian Red to Ruby Woo, just for a little change. The texture is drier than Russian Red, but damn! It's an awesome color, very pigmented.

Oh, and Henry wants to say hi. Good grief, I love this cat. (Look at that little face! Those little paws!)

Your hair looks great. My mom used to put our hair in rags like that when my sister and I were very small girls. We thought it was so much fun. She used an old bed sheet to make the rags. My hair turned curly at puberty, and I have been dreaming of straight hair ever since!

Your hair looks lovely! Mine does that naturally from about ponytail length downward, but I've been at a loss as to what to do to give the top half a little oomph! I am so going go try this as soon as possible.

i haven't done rag curls in years. I used to use cut up t-shirts. My hair is long enough I should try it again cause when I go to bed with wet hair I wake up with crazy wavy kinks that do not brush out pretty.

Well, let me tell you what. Rag curls last a lot longer than curlers or hot iron. When my mom did our hair we could sleep on the rags and then wake up and just do a flippy or two or ten and we were set to go.

But, don't go to bed with your hair too wet or you are sure to get an earache. I have had many!

I'm a ruby woo fan too. I love how long the colour lasts. I got it for free after taking back empty MAC containers. Couldn't believe I had such an amazing lipstick for free (ignoring how much I must have spent on all the makeup that was in the empties!)Loving the rag rolls. I can never stop my hair from slipping out when I roll. I need the bristles on proper rollers. What's your technique?

My grandma used to do my hair in rag curls when I was little. I always found it to be incredibly fun. The rags that she used were always strips of old shirts, so they would be striped and flowered and everything else. She cut them with the pinking shears so they wouldn't ravel.

Rag curls, sponge rollers, pincurls, hot rollers... I am obsessed with all. Pincurls look best on me, but take some time. Hot rollers are a lifesaver and my second favorite (but most used) though the curls can't be brushed. I mix and match rag and sponge depending on my mood.

Heheh, the pic with you done up in your ragrollers is really cute! When we were kids my friend's mum taught us how to do them, because she and her sisters had done it while they were growing up. It is a really natural result, because all the curls are slightly different sizes and go in different directions.Thanks also for the picture of oh! darling Henry.

I've experimented with rag curls, but I actually find pincurls easier. Perhaps I have too many layers in my hair, but I find it really hard to get it all rolled up in once piece! They were more difficult to sleep on as well - probably because they formed lumps against my head, whereas pincurls are flat, and the way I do my sets leaves a pin-free area at the top back of my head, perfect for sleeping comfortably on.

i'm currently growing my hair out again fr more possibilities.. i came from this bob that is longer in the front, with natural curls. i tried pincurls a few times and they look very nice but the hair at the back of my neck is too short to curl properly so it's always a bit messy... hoping this'll get better soon!

Before I started cutting my hair short a couple years ago I'd do the rag curls every now and then. They really are fun! Especially when you have poker-straight hair like me and it goes so curly with the rags - and stays in!

The first time I tried it out (over 10 years ago now) I went a little overboard for how fine my hair is. I put in so many that when I took them out and brushed out my hair the next day I had a TOTAL afro! And I dye my hair red, so I looked just like Little Orphan Annie!

Then I decided to put my hair in pigtails, and ended up with a puffball on either side of my head. But I was a "funky art chick" at the time (in the middle of my Visual Art BFA) and feeling very anti-convention so I loved it!

After I got the hand of it, I just enjoyed having curly hair periodically!

I think I was traumatised by my Aunts when they rag curled my hair when I was about 7, it was painful when they did it (we're talking about women who used to hoik me up by my tights once they hit mid thigh and shake me into them), I don't remember sleeping well (but that may have been excitement over the wedding necessitating all the rag curling) and then because someone completely brushed out my cousin's hair I had to endure mine being brushed entirely out too (with no compassion for my poor scalp!).

Saying that, I love the look of rag curls and tried again a couple of years ago. It was a complete disaster and just reinforced the trauma. But maybe it's time to give them another go, afterall third time's the charm!

Love the hair! Just have to say you look really cute in the first picture :) I will read your blog again when I get old with long hair. I've made a promise not to have long hair whilst I'm young(ish)... (But as I've said before, you've made me have doubts about my promise, because your hair is gorgeous!)

With the hubby out of town last night it was the perfect time to hole up in the bathroom with LottaBody and experiment -- I pinned my long hair up in rag curls and have the prettiest curly twirly hair today! The only problem is it seems to highlight those gray roots that need touching up -- the set may not last the day as the hair dye box is coming out stat! Thanks for the inspiration!

I too am a curler junkie. Pin curls, rag curls, sponge rollers, hot sticks. I have stick straight thin hair and have been amazed and thrilled with how long curls stay in my hair when I use the lotta body setting lotion and sleep on some kind of rollers/curls. Covering the whole mess with a scarf helps to keep them from coming out. People always think I spend forever on my hair, but it is quicker than back when I'd blow dry my hair every morning.

Do you all know about Lauren Rennells' book "Vintage Hairstyling"? If you are at all interested in vintage styling and curling options, I so, so, so recommend it!

One nifty trick for getting a rag-rolled look but with easier to manage ends is to use 'pillow curlers' - they have a little square sponge, and loops of wire, inside fabric, and can be used just like rags but have a little substance in the little to wrap hair around (also helpful for those of us with damaged ends that tend to frizzle if tightly rag-rolled), and they're wired to you just twist the ends together instead of having to tie a knot. The wires make them a little more uncomfortable to sleep on, but in my experience, not by much.

So jealous of your hair skills! I'm not ready for anything as freeform after my demoralizing experiment with regular mesh rollers. I am going to try the LottaBody though, with pillow curlers, and see what happens...